Kroger taps former Walmart executive Nate Faust to lead e-commerce

Kroger is reshaping its leadership team for online shopping, naming Nate Faust as chief e-commerce officer, according to a report published Monday by Grocery Dive, which syndicates from Yahoo Finance.

Faust, described in the announcement as a former Walmart executive, will oversee Kroger’s e-commerce efforts at the company’s C-suite level. For Kroger, the appointment places a dedicated digital executive in charge of a channel that has become central to grocery competition, where customers increasingly expect fast delivery, easy substitutions, and reliable order fulfillment.

The move lands only months after Kroger appointed Greg Foran, another executive with Walmart experience, as its chief executive. The sequencing matters because it indicates the company is trying to align its broader operating strategy with a leadership team that has prior exposure to large-scale retail operations and digital commerce systems.

While Kroger’s selection of Faust points to a focus on e-commerce execution, the report does not provide additional specifics about what changes he will make on day one, including whether he will oversee delivery operations, platform technology, loyalty integration, or specific growth targets. Kroger also did not disclose in the reported item the scope of his authority relative to other Kroger executives who may manage merchandising, supply chain, or customer programs.

In grocery, the e-commerce role is typically a bridge between customer-facing shopping experiences and the operational realities of getting products to households. That includes inventory accuracy, picking and packing efficiency, routing and delivery partnerships, and demand forecasting to reduce out-of-stocks and late orders. The chief e-commerce officer position, as framed by this appointment, generally exists to coordinate those moving parts so online orders do not become an operational drag.

The appointment also underscores how much attention retailers have placed on digital growth since the earlier surge in online grocery usage. Grocery chains have worked to balance expansion of delivery and pickup capacity with profitability pressures, including higher labor costs and the challenges of maintaining margins on per-order fulfillment costs.

Even so, the report leaves open key questions that often accompany leadership changes in digital commerce. It does not spell out whether Kroger expects a near-term shift in its delivery model, changes to its technology stack, or revised financial priorities tied specifically to e-commerce. It also does not clarify whether Kroger will add other digital roles or reorganize responsibilities among its executives.

Going forward, investors and customers will likely look for clearer indicates around Kroger’s e-commerce targets and execution, such as updates on online order growth, improvements in delivery speed and reliability, and any operational changes that affect the customer experience. In the meantime, the staffing decision itself suggests Kroger wants stronger executive-level ownership of a channel it sees as essential to competing in grocery.